Devices for applying liquids to body surfaces are known. Devices which apply tissue adhesives using a medicinal gas are disclosed, for example, in EP 146 098 A and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,055 as well as EP 669 100 A and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,067, which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. A common tissue adhesive is fibrin, which usually comprises a fibrinogen solution, on the one hand, and a thrombin solution, on the other hand, which may be delivered by atomization to the site of application and applied thereto. This spray application may be used for external wound sealing, for example, to stop bleeding from a wound, or to assist in treating burns or skin grafts, and is particularly well suited for sealing wounds within body cavities. For this purpose, a multi-lumen tube or spray catheter may be introduced into the respective body cavity, e.g. by way of minimally invasive surgery, and advanced to a position proximate to the application site. Once positioned, the tissue adhesive may be applied to the application site.
One shortcoming associated with the aforementioned procedure arises when applying the tissue adhesive within a closed body cavity. When applying the tissue adhesive, excessive pressure may be built up within the closed body cavity. Similarly, the open distal end of the catheter may directly contact the inner tissue or organ during use. Both of these problems may result in health-damaging consequences to the patient. It is possible to provide the catheter with optical means, such as a fiber-optic light guide and lenses, and to connect a visualizing device thereto so that the movement of the catheter in the body cavity may be visually checked from the outside. However, this solution is overly complex for many cases and fails to adequately address the safety issues relating to the possible pressure build-up within the closed body cavity or the catheter contacting the tissue.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device and system which avoids the negative consequences of the development of high pressure in the body cavity or of the catheter's contact with body tissue during operation. In particular, the present invention provides safety precautions in the event of a pressure build-up or of the catheter contacting tissue during operation of the device. In addition, the present invention is capable of monitoring pressure within the closed cavity by introducing a flow and/or volume of the pressurized medicinal gas for monitoring the catheter tip and prevent contact with the tissue.